Don’t Know Yourself, Decide Yourself

Since Ancient Greece, teachers, philosophers, and various advice givers have been telling us to know ourselves, as if you are some great mystery, the solving of which is your life’s work.

Well, renowned philosophers, I call shenanigans.

When you’re faced with a decision, you don’t ask yourself, “What would I do if I were me in this situation?”

Because, guess what? You are you in this situation.

So you decide.

And if you look back at your life, it isn’t a deep exploration into all things you. It’s a series of decisions (oh, so many decisions) that have made you who you are.

You don’t discover who you are, you decide who you are.

I did not become a runner through a series of soul-searching exercises. I was not one day inspired to run a marathon.

I decided to become a runner. And then I started running. I decided (albeit, while full of champagne) to run a marathon. And then I did that, too.

It’s through all these decisions that we start to learn about ourselves – to know ourselves.

For example, I now know that I absolutely love running in the rain. How do I know this? I decided to be a runner, then I decided to run in the rain. Then I discovered I enjoyed it.

So don’t sweat the mysteries of knowing thyself. Just make a decision and follow through. It doesn’t even have to be a big decision. Decide to try a new food, a new way of cooking, or a new workout. Follow through and BAM! you know something else. Aren’t you smart?